AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against Rusev at Extreme Rules on Sunday night. Rusev won a gauntlet match on Smackdown Live a few weeks ago to earn the match against Styles.
What is going to happen in this match and how will it end? Let’s speculate a little bit.
The crowd should be pretty loud for this one as both Rusev and Styles receive some of the loudest reactions on Smackdown Live. I am sure there will be plenty of “Let’s Go Styles, Rusev Day” chants throughout the match. WWE seems determined to try and push Rusev as a heel but fans love him too much to boo.
There is a small chance that this match could be the main event. The rumored favorite to go on last is Bobby Lashley vs Roman Reigns. If I was betting, my money would be on Reigns vs Lashley based on the amount of TV time that the feud has received. Styles vs Rusev would be my second guess though so don’t count it out.
I do think Styles will be retaining the Title here. You have probably seen the graphic that is making the rounds which is advertising Styles vs Samoa Joe at Summerslam. I am personally on board for that and I think it would be a lot of fun. That obviously doesn’t make for great news for Rusev winning the WWE Title.
I think we are going to see Styles win cleanly. After an entertaining match, Styles will hit the ‘Phenomenal Forearm’ for the pinfall. The reason for a clean finish is to end the feud without extending it into Summerslam. I would say there is even a slight chance that Samoa Joe could attack Styles after he retains since he doesn’t have a match on the card.
It won’t be all bad for Rusev. My guess is that this ends up being a great match and the best of his career so far. Plus, it will still be Rusev Day.
On a related note, you can check out our speculation for the following matches: